CONSECRATION OF THE MASONIC: LODGE,, AT REEFTON.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1539, 10 July 1873, Page 2

CONSECRATION OF THE MASONIC: LODGE, , AT REEFTON .

[SPECIALLY KBPjQKTED J „. In accordance with thY example followed from " time immemorial " by the members of the Masonic fraternity, whereever they were congregated, tpgether^jb^ sufficient numbers to constitute themselves' into, a regular and recognised association, the 'Freemasons of the'lristngahua district have, after^obtainipg,the.jaecersary..author^ rity,' "succeeded in inaugurating a lodge \ which, judging 'from* it&conimencement, ! will be a credit to the order. ,, The promoters, who' are most of fcheW Masons^bf rank and long standing, have for some months ,been> engaged iim making the 'requisite preparations, ■ and : when ; the Reefton Public BalL Companyjhad'their fine Assembiy-rdom iifc for .occupation by the brethren, an 'agreement was entered into by which the building will be available for Masonic purposes '•; at l suitable time during the ensuing, twelve months. . The announcement was made in the usual manner a that,, the inaugural ceremonies would, take. place, on Monday, 7 ; th July, and' all the brethren,, residing in the district, as well' as the members of the craft living : in , .other- -places, j^ere - o invited to attend. At two o'clock in the afternoon the brethren, ; to', the, number; of between thirty and forty, assembled at the Hall, and the.ceremony of .the consecration yr%s\ shortly afterwards commenced! The Hag j was. prepared in T a manner , appropriate 7 to the 'occasion, and 'it'foriried a siibject of remark by, the r bre](;hren of most experience in such matters; wK6 'wefe'preien^ that the decoratious and emblems exhibited were ; , peculiarly. ; ( well t; c.hosen, < :and artistically executed^ These remarks especially refer } to T the, mosaic ; pavement and j thj tracing boards of the severai'degreesj whiSE it is understood are the works. Thornton', 5 performed from designs 'supplied by the. Committee,.-; Bro. G. W. Harvey, Deputy District Grand Master of Westland, acting under special dispensation from' : the District '■ Grarid ; ; Ebdge, assisted .by Past.Masters M- R..Gissinge andG. W. MpsSjiook, the|pr|iacipal part in the cerem'dhies J df the' consecration and the .inßtallatioiir ,pf officers ,qf ..thOj new- ' Lodge. : In our issue 'of the 22rd'May, $r% ; described the consecration of /the Masonic; Lodge at Greymouth, and the.observances, this, .occasion ; being ( j precisely^ similar, , allowing 'for tne difference: caused by the : greater, advantages, .pppsessed iiy'.thejelder lodge to make; Vtlje'^ceremonies, appear more impo3ing,,^it;;is,,neediessi talrefer to ■the, ;detailsr .at;: greater length. •■ The; Deputy Grand Master performed ; his duties in a most impressive and efficient manner strictly in 1 accordance l with^ "ancient and prescribed usage, and hewas ably assisted: by the Past .Masters : before -mentioned. ■ The lodge was named ' the Pacific Lodge of P^fton, under ! : the !; Engiih^p6ns t titu'-. tioni and by the affection and unanimous' consent.j.of „.the., iaiembersi 1 Bro. „'jOHarlea Broad was elected! .tie firat,\^qrsiiißfui Master. , /Xhe^ollpwipg o^icers^were r then chosen— febs/W. Pitt, Senior Warden ; Don DeLaa Qarrera^j Junior Warden - }j ,tary,; , W;: Faler,; ; Senior.,, Deacon ; W., M'Lean^ Junior Deacon-fames'Stephen-son, Inner Guard jjiand'J. Washington, Outer Guard. .<. <Bfo. Washington' was afterwards nnanimpusly elected; 1 Tyler of the lodge. The rites in connection with consecration arid: instdllatidn and the working of the lodge aa far as.regarids; craft , masbnry f ; bein^j cbiiclupd, arid the brethren of the 'craft iddges';dis, : ; missed,, anjeyent took pla.ce; which has but [seldom occurred in Australia, or indeed in j:he,Sou'thern. Hemisphere. .jThia was a gathering of a Conclave, regularly and authoritatively constituted, .of- ithe Imperial, Eccle'siastical,'aiidj. Military TKnights pf the Red Ordss of ConstaTitine. Thomas Sanderson Bulmer, Esq., M.D., of ißeefe ton, holds his appointment of Representative and Intendant-General of this degree for the ■Northern Island, with power, to create, instal, and form Conclaves jof Master Masons of good repute throughout New Zealand and ! ' Australia ,: from ; the Grand Sovereign of the Order, the Earl Bectiye/Sir JPrederick Martin. Williams, Baroheti ! Gran9^Viber'oy ; andEu'sebius, and the Imperial Grand .Council of England. Acting under -this- authority; Bro. .Bulmer,' haying previously conferred' the degree of. Knight pf| [the. Red j Cross, ;upqn; seven Master Masons, the, Oonclave met, and v ejected Sir Knight G. W. Harvey, Sovereign ; Sir Knight Charles Broad, Euse 7 bius ; 'and Sir Knight W.Pittj.ißecorde'r of tihe Degre.e 1 in' this Division. ' 'itniay' be here stated that Bro. Bulmer !! alsp holds a dispensation Under the same' authority, to constitute. Knights of the order of the Holy) Sepulchre^ 1 ai^d|_,St.. irbhnT' T """'"

In the evening ithe" brethren assembled at the Oddfellows Hall to a banquet provided by Brpi 'JJ'Dawsbti in 'a style' whicif could hardly, be /surpassed ml this ''part of the world. The Worshipful Master of ; the Lodge, Bro. iC. Broacty the : Chair, supported, on the ; right?by Bro. G. W. Harvey and Bro. T. S. Bulmer;'and ontlie,left r iby.Bros. Past Masters Moss. and Gessinge. The other founders of the. Lodge occupied places of honor atdiflFerent parts of the table, and the vice-chair was'ijlled by-~Bro. Senior ' Warden" "PitTJT .Numerous >tpats;,-?.sw,ere-?. given and received with the usual honors, the • proposers /andrthose; ibrethren, who;;weres> calledupon; jto; respond, jraaking'. suitable remarks. The following were giveu^frbm'the chair — " The 1 Queen 1 an'd'the 'Craft," "The Past, Grand Master^ the: Prince pi Wales,!'' '. "The Grand- M asters Vof. the English, Irish, and Scotch Cpns'titutip'usi" .i'The Disteict (^rand .Master of jlarid,; Br-p:;;.^. , Lazar;" . The ;D,J),G.M; Bro. Harvey responded on behalf of the G.M., and paid; a highcomplim'ent, as did thq , proposer of , the , toast, to the character and' ; masbnic r accomplishments of Bro. Lazar. ., The .Chairman, proposed the healihof "The Deputy 1 District Grand Master," who responded ; . in^appropriate, terms.' The Senior Warden proposed' tie, toast of "Success to the District Grand Lodge of jWestland^; Paste Masters Gissinge and Moss responded as members of the., District -Lodge. The health .of m". The Worshipful Master " was' proposed by the D.D.G.M. The W;M. replied in an' eloquent speech. The toast of "The Officers and r ßrethren : of the Pacific Lodge, ; 'licef tony ' \ was given by! Bro. Hayden, and responded to by .Bro. F. ; De Las Carrera^: ' The health; tf ,' Brethren who were visitors^ to the Lodge" was given from the chair, and replied to by Bro^ Moss,- who, as a Mason of great 1 experience, in the course of his reply, gave the brethren .of the .newipdge, ?ome sound ; advice as to the nec^issityj of carer ful supervision; in. the, selection, and! ,the further extension of the.Orlier. The toast

of "The Press" wasproposedbyD.D.G.M. Harvey,, and responded to Bro r Hayden. T^e health p^'f'The Host " wai given by BrXi^i^KWjs, and replied to by Bro. Dawsoh in" a neatly worded speech. Several other toasts were given, including "The founders of the Lodge," "Absent sonic portion 6f the proceedings,terminated according *bthe usual. obißrvances, with the toast of "All poor and distressed J^SOns^^^,-:.,;...,-;..^:,^,^^^^ During the evening several of the brethren whose- -abilities lay in that direction rendered some capital songsTand recitations. Mr ,K: Ppwnall accompanied the singers on the piiiuiforte, and that gentleman's miisicil accomplishments contributed largely to the success of the evening's! enjoyment. The company] did not separate iuntiT a late' or rather *ah 1 early hour, and it imay be' safely s^id that the^whole of the proceedings incohhectibn with* the inauguration, of this the youngest ... offshoot, of the ancient and r , honorable craft ) pafflSd n 6nt r: from 1 ' f %h'e #/ coSni^efl&/a^nt to the conclusion satisfactorily^ and in a manner creditable to all cbncernedl'-'/- - The 4ge sayßthafc 'iiiiVict6ria t " rtb:epb'pulai- crime:of' the> hour isj wiihout' douDt,' sw Ss n s" XnTMIUM (iUAJO Street-scrapingi T machines/;-, of «a . sfmple: and inexpensive character, have just been introduced into Sydney, and are found very: serviceable! in! abating the mud ri: nui-Sance.-.nr.:,--' ! . -.;,;.;-.,•; ;■'■;«! i-y-il. ;■.::•» I'Mi.^.A 'For cmiUnmti^o/mws'M^k l^^